Stolen faces: the female victims of Bangladesh acid attacks refuse to be beaten

EVERY week, somewhere in Bangladesh, a woman’s life is changed forever when she is doused with acid and disfigured.

Women are also regularly attacked in Cambodia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The western world isn’t immune either.

The motivations vary but most are very simple: a man’s reputation has been damaged. Maybe his sexual advances were rejected. Maybe he was cheated on. Whatever the reason, the punishment does not fit the crime.

Victims suffer horrific physical injuries. Not only does their skin burn, but often they are severely disfigured. Acid causes the skin tissue to melt, it attacks the eyes, it dissolves the bones. In certain cases, ears and noses are lost completely.

Women also suffer the stigma attached to deformity, one that can be especially crippling in a place where finding a husband can mean the difference between poverty and security.

The Acid Survivors Foundation, a charity established in 1999 to help victims in Bangladesh, says five women were attacked last month and 30 women have been attacked since January. Since 1999, there has been an astonishing 3240 incidents, peaking in 2002 when 494 women were attacked with acid.

The true number is likely higher than that because victims are afraid to report the attack.

The foundation says women are attacked when they “exercise decision-making power by rejecting a marriage or ‘love’ proposal” and the attackers “aim for a woman’s face in an attempt to destroy what many members of society consider to be one of her most important asset — her beauty”.

English television presenter Katie Piper is speaking out for victims who cannot face the public scrutiny themselves.

The 31-year-old former model and TV presenter spoke publicly about her attack in the documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face in October, 2009. A year earlier she was in a hospital bed dealing with an attack that would change her life — and her appearance — forever.

In March, 2008, Piper’s ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch organised for his friend Stefan Sylvestre to throw the acid on the model.

Piper was walking into an intersection in North London when Sylvestre approached. He paused before throwing the acid with both hands. CCTV footage of the attack shows Piper run into a cafe before splashing water on her face.

Both Lynch and Sylvestre were convicted over the attack. Lynch received two life sentences and Sylvestre received one.

Piper has not let the attack stop her from pursuing a career in television. She has been the host of Bodyshockers since 2013 but has undergone dozens of surgeries in the eight years since she was attacked.

In Asia, where doctors treat acid burn victims daily, the fight to empower survivors continues. With each victim who speaks out, they also empower themselves. But they need help.

Ms Angir said NGOs are providing just that.

“For a long time women who have survived acid attacks have hidden away to stop from having to show their face publicly after the attack,” she told news.com.au.

“However, a lot of the work happening around the world is focused on ensuring that women have the support they need to rebuild their lives — which includes accessing education, employment and social networks.

“Women in rural communities, where acid attacks almost always occur, need the most support. They cannot easily access information on how to find justice after and attack, or how to access the support that is available to them.”